Messi tried to save Dembele from red card by saying 'he can't speak Spanish'

Lionel Messi tried everything he could to precent Ousmane Dembele from being sent off against Sevilla on Sunday, even criticising his teammates level of Spanish.

Dembele had said "very bad, you're very bad" to referee Miguel Antonio Mateu Lahoz, which saw him dismissed.

But Messi arrived on the scene accompanied by his Barcelona teammates to explain that it was a misunderstanding, with the Argentinian telling the official that the Frenchman doesn't know how to express himself well in Spanish.

As well as defend Dembele, Cuatro's images showed that Messi himself called Lahoz "bad".

Gerard Pique also tried his best, suggesting that Dembele had said "very badly", but Lahoz was clear and repeated the Frenchman's words back to the Catalan.

The length of his suspension isn't yet known, but the Clasico meeting with Real Madrid may be at risk.